


Like An Electric Charge

by danrdarrenc



Category: As the World Turns
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-09-12
Updated: 2014-09-12
Packaged: 2018-02-17 03:09:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,082
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2294612
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/danrdarrenc/pseuds/danrdarrenc
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <em>As she watches, Maddie can practically see the sparks flying between them. There’s a nearly visible electric charge between Luke and Dr. Oliver that she didn’t know two people could have. It certainly wasn’t there between Luke and Noah. There’s no doubting that.</em>
</p><p>This is a look at the falling apart of Luke and Noah relationship and then Luke and Reid’s relationship from Maddie’s POV.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Like An Electric Charge

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [this poem](https://archiveofourown.org/external_works/72752) by Lang Leav. 



> For purposes of the story, the timeline of canon had to be disregarded, as well as Reid’s death, obviously. (Train? What train?)

When she first agrees to live with Noah after his accident, Maddie is certain that his time away from Luke is only temporary. As hurt as she had been when Noah left her for Luke, Maddie couldn’t deny that he and Luke were more suited romantically for each other than she and Noah had ever been. Even when she left Oakdale for Wesleyan, when Luke and Noah were only just beginning, she could tell that they were in it for the long haul, her suspicions confirmed when she returned over a year later and found them still together.

So when Noah comes to her and suggests that they get an apartment together - just as friends this time, he assures her with a chuckle - Maddie accepts the offer but silently makes it her personal mission to help Luke and Noah work things out.   
The first night they live together, Noah outlines for her what happened with the accident, why the rift between him and Luke exists, and how Luke is making it incredibly difficult for him to get the help he needs.

"What do you mean?" Maddie asks.

"There’s this brain surgeon. Dr. Oliver is his name," Noah clarifies. "Luke blackmailed him into coming here and now Dr. Oliver is refusing to do the surgery." His voice is hard and bitter.

Maddie frowns. Noah doesn’t - can’t - see.

______________

A week later, when Maddie picks up Noah, he greets her with a bounce in his step and a huge grin on his face. ”Dr. Oliver agreed to do the surgery!” Noah announces when she asks about his mood.

"Noah, that’s great!" She smiles at him though he can’t see it and embraces him tightly. She breaks away after a minute and hooks her arm in his elbow, leading him to the elevator. "What made him change his mind?"

"I just had to agree to keep Luke out of his orbit," Noah says brightly. "Which is fine because we haven’t been spending a lot of time around each other anyway."

Maddie’s mouth twists into an angry thin line as they step into the elevator and she presses the button for the parking lot. She wonders not for the first time whether Noah was just looking for an excuse for a while - even before the accident - to break up with Luke. 

________________

Two days after Noah tells her about Dr. Oliver’s ultimatum, Maddie bumps into Luke at Java. 

"Luke! Hi," Maddie says cheerfully. 

"Hey, Maddie." Luke gives her a weak smile and Maddie can tell that it pains him to do so. 

"Listen, Luke. Noah told -" Maddie wavers. Luke looks away from her and absentmindedly fiddles with the cover of his coffee cup. After a beat, Maddie continues, "Noah told me about Dr. Oliver’s conditions for doing Noah’s surgery."

"Isn’t Dr. Oliver just the best?" Luke’s voice drips with sarcasm. 

The ends of Maddie’s lips twitch. Then she says, “As your friend, can I offer you some advice?” Luke nods slightly. “Give Noah some time. I know he still loves you. He’s just going through a really rough time right now and he feels like Dr. Oliver is his last hope.”

"Yeah. I know and I’m the one who gave him that hope!" His words come out louder and more forcefully than he intended them to. Staring at a spot over Maddie’s head, he takes a breath and then says, "It just - it just feels like Noah is still punishing me. I know he’s blamed me for the accident since it happened and it just seems like this is his latest attempt at reminding me that he blames me."

Luke looks back to Maddie and she sees that his eyes are sparkling with tears. Her heart hurts for her friend; she remembers how in love they had been the last time she had been in town.

"I’m sorry, Maddie. I didn’t mean to bring you down. And I don’t want you to feel uncomfortable, you know, with Noah being your roommate," Luke says. "It was great seeing you. I have to go."

He’s gone with a flourish, leaving Maddie staring after him. As the barista hands her her coffee, Maddie wonders just how long it will be until Luke stops punishing himself. 

________________

A month later, when Noah tells her that Luke broke up with him, Maddie is not surprised. She doesn’t tell Noah, but she’s actually quite proud of Luke for getting out of a bad situation. 

As much as she would like her two friends to work things out, she understands completely where Luke is coming from; it was one thing when Noah and Dr. Oliver were going to Dallas for the surgery. It is entirely another situation now that Dr. Oliver has been lured into staying in Oakdale with the promise of a fancy new neurology wing. 

__________________

Maddie leaves Oakdale the day following Noah’s surgery. Noah assures her that he can see well enough now to live on his own so she takes Will and Gwen up on their offer for an extended visit with them in Carbondale.

She tries to keep in touch with Noah and Luke, only occasionally talks to them, and both steer clear of discussing their relationship with her. It’s not until Casey comes to visit Will for a spell at the end of the summer that she finds out Luke is dating Dr. Oliver - Reid, as Luke calls him now.

"Wow, really?" Maddie asks, eyes wide with shock. "I thought they didn’t like each other?"

"Yeah. So did everyone. Noah apparently caught them making out at Luke’s house." Casey smirks and pops a handful of potato chips into his mouth.

"That’s rough," Will says and drapes his arm around Gwen. 

Maddie doesn’t answer. Her heart is torn between sadness that Luke and Noah really couldn’t work things out and joy that Luke is happy once again.

__________________

After that, Maddie makes a point to speak with Luke and Noah more.

One day in September, she spends almost two hours on the phone listening to Noah rant and rave about how Luke betrayed him with Dr. Oliver and how Dr. Oliver used his surgery to seduce Luke away from him. Maddie barely keeps herself from reminding him that, according to Casey, nothing happened between Luke and Dr. Oliver until after Luke had already broken up with Noah. Before she says something she might regret, she tells him she has to go, wishes him luck out in LA, and hangs up. 

A few days later, Maddie is just making herself a sandwich for lunch when her phone buzzes with a call from Luke.

"Hey, stranger," Maddie answers.

"Hi, Mads." Luke’s voice is tinny coming through the weak connection. "Go on. Ask me. I know Casey told you."

Maddie bites her lip to keep from smiling too broadly. It’s a good sign that Luke is inviting her to ask. “I hear you have a boyfriend. You’ve been holding out on me, Mister. What’s his name?” Her voice is light and teasing and asks even though she knows the answer.

"Reid." Luke’s voice is soft and breathy and it takes Maddie by surprise. It’s the way Luke used to say Noah’s name. 

"I thought you didn’t like him?" 

"I didn’t. Or - I guess…I guess I did but I was so caught up in trying to help Noah that I - I felt guilty for having feelings for someone else. Especially his doctor who I brought here! So I pushed them away and just ignored them." Luke explains. After a beat, "And then I broke up with Noah because he clearly didn’t want to be with me anymore and I went to Dallas with Reid to help him keep his medical license and he kissed me and I couldn’t ignore my feelings anymore." The sentence comes out all in one breath and Maddie can hear him breathing heavily on the other end.

"You sound really happy, Luke," Maddie says truthfully. 

"Thanks." She can almost hear him blushing. He always blushed when he was happy. "Did Casey tell you what Reid did for Chris?"

"I heard he got Chris a new heart?"

"Yeah. Tom and Margo found a heart at Bay City General but there was this hotshot doctor there who took it for one of his own patients and Reid got really mad. He’ll never admit that he actually cares about Chris Did you know he calls him Doogie? Like Doogie Howser, M.D.? Anyway, he’ll say he did it for Katie. But I know he cares about Chris in his own way. So he went to Bay City General and he stole that heart right away from that doctor and brought it back all triumphant. You should have seen him swagger in with his cooler. I swear there should have been action movie music playing in the background and things blowing up as he walked by." Luke chuckles and Maddie can tell he’s grinning. He sounds so proud.

"You love him," Maddie says softly. It’s not a question.

"Yeah," Luke breathes. 

"Luke, I’m so happy for you." Maddie finds her words couldn’t be any more sincere. She feels a twinge of nostalgia for what Luke and Noah used to be but she saw the way they fell apart and she could never deny her friend his happiness.

"Thanks, Maddie. It means a lot to me to hear you say that," Luke says. "And thanks for listening. I, um, I have a lunch date with Reid, so I’m gonna go, okay?" 

"Yeah. Of course. Go have fun with your guy. We’ll talk soon." 

_____________________

Maddie once again returns to Oakdale the following spring. It’s a short visit, just a couple of weeks, to visit Henry and Barbara (She’s still never going to get used to her brother being married to Barbara Ryan.) and attend Casey and Alison’s wedding, despite being the ex-girlfriend. 

She pushes the door to Al’s open and makes a beeline for the counter where Henry is busy taking a customer’s order. She sits on one of the bar stools to wait for her brother and spins it out to watch the diner-goers.

Suddenly, she spots a head of blond hair sitting at a table in the corner near the window. Across from him is a slightly older-looking man with blue eyes and auburn curls. As she watches, she sees the curly-haired man - Dr. Oliver, she realizes - steal a French fry from off of Luke’s plate. Just before he pops the fry into his mouth, Dr. Oliver says something that makes Luke throw his head back in laughter. Dr. Oliver smiles at Luke’s amusement and absentmindedly twines their fingers together on top of the table.

Maddie’s mouth falls open slightly and blinks away tears she didn’t know she was about to shed. She is suddenly uncomfortable; she feels like she’s intruding on something intimate despite them being in the middle of a diner.

"As much as it kills me to say it," Henry’s voice says from behind her. She turns around on the stool to face him as he continues, "Dr. Oliver really does seem to care about Luke."

"He loves him, Henry," Maddie chides and she can’t deny the truth of the words, not after the scene she just witnessed. "And Luke loves Dr. Oliver."

* * * * * * * * * * *

Maddie sees Luke and Reid for a second time at the hospital, although they don’t see her. She’s there to say hello to Casey and Alison but Casey’s three floors below cleaning bedpans and Alison is in the middle of rounds. She’s on her way to the elevator when she spots Luke leaning against the nurses’ desk, his head bent towards the cell phone in his hand. 

She’s about to go over to him when Dr. Oliver suddenly appears behind him, a medical chart in his hand. He smiles at Luke’s bent head and tucks the chart under one arm before he simultaneously snakes his free arm around Luke’s waist and kisses Luke’s hair. Luke’s lips turn up in a soft smile as he leans back into Dr. Ol - Reid’s chest. Reid whispers something in Luke’s ear and kisses his temple. Luke’s smile spreads across his face; when he finishes whatever he’s doing on his phone, Luke turns around and wraps his arms around Reid’s neck. Luke asks Reid something; Reid answers with a nod and Luke’s smile gets impossibly wider. Luke closes the gap between them to press their lips together in a gentle but lingering kiss. When they break apart, they stare into each other’s eyes for a few seconds before linking fingers and turning around the corner, probably towards Reid’s office.

As she watches, Maddie can practically see the sparks flying between them. There’s a nearly visible electric charge between Luke and Dr. Oliver that she didn’t know two people could have. It certainly wasn’t there between Luke and Noah. There’s no doubting that. 

Smiling to herself at her friend’s happiness, she heads to the elevator.

* * * * * * * * * * * *

Maddie sees Luke and Reid one more time before she leaves Oakdale again - at Casey and Alison’s wedding.

She sits with Henry and Barbara in a pew in the middle of Luther’s Corners Church when she notices Luke and Reid in a pew two rows up to the right. She can’t see Reid’s face but his back looks stiff and straight like he’s uncomfortable. Next to him, Luke smiles and his eyes are almost cartoonishly heart-shaped the way he looks at the doctor. He leans in to whisper something in Reid’s ear; when he pulls back Luke’s eyes are alight with mischief. Reid turns his head towards Luke and Maddie can just see the hint of a smirk on his lips. Luke sticks his tongue between his teeth, just poking it through his lips, and then leans forward to press their lips together softly. 

They break apart when the wedding processional begins but when she glances at them again after everyone is reseated and the wedding begins, Luke’s fingers are carding through the curls at the back of Reid’s head.

Later, at the reception, Maddie occasionally glances at them at their table. Casey and Alison had enough sense to not seat Luke and Reid with Noah - he is at her table with Henry and Barbara and Will and Gwen - but instead put them with hospital colleagues. One time, she catches Luke shaking his head in exasperation at Reid’s voracious appetite. Another time, they’re kissing lazily over the table. 

"Why do you keep watching them?" Noah asks. His voice is tinged with bitterness. 

Maddie turns to Noah. “I’d tell you that I’m happy to see Luke happy but you’d only get angry with me.”

"Too bad you just told me." 

"Can you honestly tell me that you’re not happy to see Luke happy?" Maddie raises an eyebrow at him, challenging him to refute her statement.

"I still think he’s not right for him," Noah mumbles but he averts his eyes from Maddie.

"They’ve been together a year, Noah," Maddie reprimands but her voice is kind. Noah clenches his jaw and doesn’t say anything. They fall into silence so Maddie turns back to Luke and Reid.

Luke is petting Reid’s hand on top of the table, talking to Reid; it looks like he’s trying to convince Reid to do something he doesn’t want to. Sure enough, a minute later, Luke smiles triumphantly, slides his hand into Reid’s, and leads a reluctant Dr. Oliver onto the dance floor. Once they find a spot, Luke wraps his arms around Reid’s neck and Reid slides his arms around Luke’s waist, pulling him close. Their rhythm doesn’t match the beat of the music, Maddie realizes, but it’s okay because they seem to be in their own world, their dancing in sync with the beat of the pulse of their hearts. As they dance, Maddie once again feels the electricity radiating from them and it shocks her for the second time that two people can produce such an effect on each other. 

Maddie’s heart warms when Luke’s lips turn up in a small smile and his arms automatically tighten around Reid’s neck. To her, it feels like they’ve done this a million times; she can imagine it: Luke and Reid alone in their apartment, the two of them swaying slowly to the soft music filtering out of the radio.

As the music shifts into a slow song, Reid smiles at Luke; his face is turned just enough to her that she can see him say “I love you.” to Luke. Luke’s eyes sparkle with love as he says “I love you, too.” and then Reid leans his neck forward to capture Luke’s lips in a kiss. 

Next to her, Noah makes a noise akin to disgust. Maddie turns her head to see him staring daggers at Luke and Reid. She frowns and wonders if Noah has always been such a bitter and resentful person.

"Would it really kill you to try and be nice to Reid. Even for Luke’s sake?" She doesn’t care at this point about hurting Noah’s feelings or making him angry.

"Yes," Noah says bluntly. "I don’t like him."

"He gave you your sight back. You at least him owe him the courtesy of pretending to be friendly."

"He stole Luke from me." It’s the same line Noah’s been spouting for over a year. Maddie shakes her head in exasperation and doesn’t respond. Nothing she says will change Noah’s mind; she’s had first-hand experience with his stubborn side.

She returns her attention to the dance floor where Luke and Reid are now dancing - or rather, standing in one spot and swaying - with their foreheads pressed together and their eyes closed. Maddie doesn’t think she’s ever seen two more contented people in her life. 

______________

Maddie leaves Oakdale without properly meeting Reid. (She’s met him as Dr. Oliver, of course. But not as Reid, Luke’s boyfriend.) She’s quite sad, really, that she didn’t get a chance to personally witness the witty banter Casey and Alison told her Luke and Reid engage in sometimes; she would like to see the fire that ignites the current between them.

But as she drives back to Carbondale with Will and Gwen, Maddie isn’t worried that she’ll never get the chance to observe that part of Luke and Reid’s relationship. She’s actually quite certain that there will be more than enough opportunities in the future for her to spark the electric charge that is LukeandReid.


End file.
